Watchdog: Anti-sex trafficking study zeroes in on ads

8:24 PM,
Dec. 20, 2012

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A recent study from Arizona State University raises an interesting question: Can the adult ads on Backpage.com be dissected to help police find those who sexually traffic minors?

The study used a 12-hour period of adult ads from Backpage.com in five cities - Phoenix, Philadelphia, San Diego, Minneapolis, and Salt Lake City. (Originally, the researchers planned to scrutinize 24 hours of ads but that task was too overwhelming for the team. The 12-hour period produced 1,332 ads.)

It's no secret that Backpage.com has become a leading Internet conduit to prostitution. Locally, there are ...